Shadows of Black
by DarkusCat
Summary: A Shadowhunter allying with a demon is unspeakable. So what happens when a Shadowhunter makes a contract with a demon? Collateral damage. Universal threats to Mundanes, Shadowhunters, and Demons, and Downworlders alike. The Phantomhive household and the London Institute will need to work together to reclaim one of their own kind to the light… or eliminate him completely.
1. Chapter 1

Hey you guys! Okay, my first Kuroshitsuji fic and my first Infernal Devices fic. Flames and contsructive criticism are welcome, please read/review/favorite/alert! Part of my crossover war with Beta5200, so read her story Fairy Tail Evils Series and tell us which one is better. Thanks! -DC

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Clarification about Kuroshitsuji: This takes place some time DURING the Kuroshitsuji MANGA. Ciel is NOT a demon. Angela/Ash, Pluto, Alois, Claude, Hannah, and all of the other anime-only characters do NOT exist. Lau is NOT evil. Snake DOES exist.

Clarification about the Infernal Devices: This takes place some time BEFORE Clockwork Angel. Will does NOT know about his "curse", and Tessa does NOT exist in their lives.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kuroshitsuji or the Infernal Devices. No matter how much I wish I did. They belong to their respective authors/artists.

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**Chapter 1: A Pair of Curses**

A comical pair was seen walking down the narrow streets of London. A tall, thin, wiry man garbed in black and a small boy, wearing a tall black top-hat as if it's height could compensate for its owner's lack of. Though one might think it natural that the elder would lead the way, the smaller was clearly the more dominant of the two, walking in front with his head held high and his single clear blue eye bearing a fixed look of concentration. One of the boy's hands held an ornate walking stick, its beat against the cobblestone adding a rhythm to his swift strides. The other hand was hidden within the folds of his flowing black cloak, holding an unaddressed envelope marked by a single red wax seal. He was –in manner, likeness, and being– Earl Ciel Phantomhive, master of the Phantomhive Household and watchdog of the Queen.

The taller of the two followed his young master like a shadow, soundlessly moving with the same long strides his master took. They cut through the crowd easily, like a chef's knife might cut through butter, as all of London's "commoners" could easily recognize the pair- and all knew to stay well out of their way. To stay well out of the way of the cold, dark touch of death that followed the cursed watchdog and his black butler wherever they went.

As the pair continued to walk down the street, a black cloak and tailcoat fluttering weakly in their wake, the crowd of commoners was thinning out and soon disappeared all together. They were replaced, however, by a different sort of people. Downworlders, they were called, the dregs of London society that smoked opium in the East End, murdered innocent passer-bys at Whitechapel, and even practiced black magic behind closed doors. Most were disfigured mutants covered with tattoos, coated with dirt, caked with mud, and wearing nothing but rags and scraps of fabric. Some, wearing nothing at all.

It was only natural that the poor should envy the well-to-do, and the London Downworld was certainly no exception. Ciel scoffed in disgust and struck out with his walking stick at a wrinkled old drug-addict who's one arm reached out to touch his hand-made heeled boots. And conditions weren't improving as they walked further into the darkness of the ally. Rather quite the opposite.

Night was falling, and one by one lanterns were beginning to light. The sight would have been oddly beautiful, like fireflies in the night, if not so grotesque. Simple moths weren't the only ones who flocked to the sudden brightness, but also beetles the size of your big toe, and rats. Rats that were capable of working together to take down a full-grown man and eat him alive. People, too, were drawn towards the light. People who were missing limbs or had a few too many of them, people who had been annexed by a tail or a pair of wings, people with teeth like a million knives… People that weren't really people at all.

"Young Master," Sebastian said, kicking an over-grown rat aside. "They're staring."

"Let them stare," the Earl replied simply, lifting his chin a few inches higher, "Let them stare, but nothing more. I want none of those…_things…_touching me."

"Yes, my Lord," the demon replied.

"Sebastian," the boy inquired, "How many of these are actually people?"

The butler blinked, and when his eyes opened Ciel thought he caught a flash of red. "Does my lord truly wish to know?"

"Answer me truthfully, Sebastian," Ciel replied, irritated by his butler's unwillingness to comply.

"Of course," the demon said, closing his eyes once more. This time, when they flashed open they appeared as glittering rubies in the night, lit by their own hellish power. "None of them are," he said simply, a faint smile on his lips.

Ciel's face became a mask of stone. His head turned back, as if he was checking that no one was following or listening in, before looked up at the demon. "Then what are they? Are they…like you?"

Sebastian blinked once more, his eyes reverting back to their original state. "Only a few of them are demons, and all of them weak. They are mainly warlocks, half human half demon, as well as several vampires, werewolves, infrits, nixies, peris- Aah!" He gasped and looked mildly surprised.

"What?" Ciel asked, "What is it?"

"There is also a Shadowhunter."

"What are those?"

Sebastian looked off in the distance, as if he could see beyond the smoke and murk. "Nephilim. Children of the Angel. Demon hunters. A sacred race of demigods."

"And are you afraid?" Ciel asked. His question was more of a challenge than out of curiosity.

The demon didn't answer, but paused in front of a particularly crowded opium den. "We're here, my Lord." He said, ignoring Ciel's question.

They pushed aside the beaded curtain that was draped over the entry, and entered the dim, musty, lamp-lit room. Inside was the overwhelming smell of drugs and herbs of every kind- almost all of them illegal. Ciel's headache was immediate, and he suddenly felt the urge to fall unconscious. The butler noticed his young master's condition immediately, and handed one of his white starched handkerchiefs to the boy, who immediately pressed it against his face.

"Let's find him and get out of here, Sebastian. No playing around." Ciel snapped, his voice muffled by the cloth.

"Yes, my Lo-"

Sebastian was cut off, as the tip of a wickedly sharp, glowing knife protruded from his chest. As the butler collapsed at the feet of his master, a man –no, _boy _–stepped out of the shadows.

"And by the knife of the Angel, I banish you to the hellish world from where you came."


	2. Chapter 2

Hello again! Please enjoy Chapter 2!

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Clarification about Kuroshitsuji: This takes place some time DURING the Kuroshitsuji MANGA. Ciel is NOT a demon. Angela/Ash, Pluto, Alois, Claude, Hannah, and all of the other anime-only characters do NOT exist. Lau is NOT evil. Snake DOES exist.

Clarification about the Infernal Devices: This takes place some time BEFORE Clockwork Angel. Will does NOT know about his "curse", and Tessa does NOT exist in their lives.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kuroshitsuji or the Infernal Devices. No matter how much I wish I did. They belong to their respective authors/artists.

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_Sebastian was cut off, as the tip of a wickedly sharp, glowing knife protruded from his chest. As the butler collapsed at the feet of his master, a man –no, boy –stepped out of the shadows._

_"And by the knife of the Angel, I banish you to the hellish world from where you came."_

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**Chapter 2: Rooftop Shadows**

Ciel's hand flew to his cloak, where he had concealed a loaded gun. However, even the young Earl's trained reflexes under Sebastian's coaching were too slow. Ciel didn't even see the boy move before he felt a strong grip on both of his arms, forcing his right hand to drop the gun and his left hand to drop a certain unaddressed envelope marked by a single blood red seal. Finally, the younger of the two boys stopped struggling and went limp with defeat. His only movement was to slowly, almost passively, tilt his head back to catch a glimpse of the attacker.

Ciel's first, rather bizarre impression was that he was staring into a mirror, his own blue eyes reflected back at him. Of course, common sense and the lack of an eye patch kicked in, and he knew something was wrong. Yet he couldn't get the thought out of his head as he stared into the deep blue eyes, deep and cold as a frozen river and half obscured by glossy black hair. Meanwhile, the other boy was staring at the demon on the floor, prodding it with the tip of his black leather boot. Ciel groaned, irritated.

Mildly exasperated, Ciel repeated his earlier command to his butler. "I said no playing around. Get up."

His captor walked around him, still keeping a firm grip on one of his wrists and kicking the gun aside. "Your pet demon is dead," he said, a cynical grin on his face. "The blades of the angel never fail to banish the darkness." There was a certain air of arrogance and baseless self-confidence reflected in his voice that Ciel found extremely annoying… possibly because it was so similar to his own character. That was exactly the air the young Earl needed to assume in order not to be looked down upon amongst the nobles of London society. However, what did his captor have to hide?

Ciel returned the grin. Without looking down at the "dead" butler, he said in his best, most demanding and omnipotent voice,

"I order you to get up. Now."

The shadowhunter was slightly taken aback by what could only be called "charisma." The boy was magnificently charismatic, even when under someone else's control, even with his gun lying on the ground five feet away, and even with his pet demon dead. Was there something he didn't know? He did find it a bit bizarre that the demon wasn't collapsing and folding in on itself. Perhaps it was playing dead? The black-haired blue-eyed boy reached back into his belt to take out another seraph blade, expertly twirling it around his fingers before whispering its name. It jumped to life in a flurry of blue flames, a spectacle that surprised his young Earl. A shadowhunter and a child aristocrat, quite the comical pair indeed. One trained in killing behind the cover of night, blending in the shadows, never seen until it was too late. The other, a spoiled brat that couldn't lace his own boots, much less manage his own estate or wander into Downworld unattended. How he ended up with a demon under his control was quite the mystery.

The black-haired blue-eyed boy, William Herondale, a Shadowhunter of questionable character and unquestionable skill, smiled. _This was exactly the kind of person Jessie would like_, he thought, _a spoiled brat with a piece of inherited dirt to call his own_. He casually closed one eye and, after a small calculation, tossed the glowing glass blade at the perfect arc so it would hit the demon right in the center of its chest, just above his first cut. _That's right, _he thought, _Let the foolish noble's pet's black blood coat the streets of Downworld. _The young Earl was struggling again, getting nowhere and appearing no more than a flurry of scrawny arms and expensive fabric. Just before the blade hit, the boy ripped his eyepatch of, his voice shouting a single word, loud and clear.

"SEBASTIAN!"

At first, nothing happened and it appeared that that the blade would find its mark. The clean, pressed, white glove on Sebastian's left hand faded to black and crumbled away, as if made of ash. Revealed was a Faustian Contract seal, glowing ruby red. A corresponding seal was glowing blue on Ciel's right eye, a brilliant, bright shade of sapphire. A third, similar red light was emanating from the bloody gash in the center of the demon's chest, and the three intersected with a blindingly bright white flash, forming a tripod of light with the seraph blade caught in the middle, suspended in mid air. The blade exploded into dust and light, the fragments and shards of glass gently floating down one of the ruby-lit paths and arranging itself over the wound. Suddenly, everything disappeared, leaving behind darkness and confusion.

Ciel collapsed unconscious, suddenly exhausted beyond measure. Will had let go of his hand during the spectacle of lights, so there was no one to catch him. He was plummeting towards the blood-soaked cobblestone when….

…His butler caught him.

Will gasped. "I-" he started, shocked. It all made sense now. The boy didn't get a demon to listen to him out of its own accord, he sold his soul. _I wonder what the terms of their contract were?_ he thought. His face turned from a look of confusion to a mask of disgust. "_Demon,_" he spat. Then, moving with a Shadowhunter's lightning speed, he readied another seraph blade and confronted the Earl's butler. Sebastian, still carrying his young master, leapt out of the way and landed on one of the tiled London rooftops.

"My, my," the demon said, still carrying the boy, "You certainly are a hot-headed Shadowhunter, aren't you," he smiled.

Will repositioned himself in a fighting stance, his blue eyes blazing with icy fury. He climbed several pipes, before standing on another rooftop, poised and ready to strike. The pair stood in silence, silhouetted by moonlight, appearing no more than fleeting shadows, black against a snow white moon. It was the Shadowhunter that made the first move, easily closing the gap with a single leap. The demon, however, was one step ahead, skipping out of reach of the gleaming blade and regaining his footing on the a rooftop hanging above a silent street, lit by faint lamp-light. Sebastian sighed, putting up a mock façade of boredom.

"What a one-sided match this is," the demon said, imitating the Shadowhunter's drawling tone. "You know you can't banish me, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" the Shadowhunter asked. Though Will was trying to mask his surprise, the demon could still sense the boy's interest and confusion.

"You and your kind are called Shadow_hunters_," the demon replied, "not Shadow_killers_. Have you ever found that odd? That is because you cannot simply _kill_ a demon, you and your Angel's blades can only banish us. However, I am tied to this world by the soul of my master," he paused to look down at the unconscious boy, gently pushing a lock of his hair out of his shut eye, "and cannot leave this world until he allows it. He evoked the power of this connection by simply calling my name. Your blade served as a source of energy for me to call upon in order to complete my resurrection. Any other unbound demon would be drained of their energy and sent back to their home dimension, but I have a tie tethering me to this world," he smiled, giving a look that could have passed for 'rueful' "And I don't think he plans on releasing me any time soon."

Will stood, silent, before lunging at the demon once more. "Liar," he spat, redoubling his efforts. Only one thing the demon said was true; he _was _being hot-headed and headstrong. Not that it mattered. What mattered was killing the demon. What mattered was staying alive. What mattered was himself and Charlotte and Henry and maybe even Jessamine and… Jem. What mattered was Jem and what didn't matter was the packet of silvery powder in his coat pocket. And it most definitely didn't matter that Jem was lying in his white-walled room with red spots on his pale cheeks, his gleaming hair matted, his silver eyes dull. It didn't matter that Jem was dying…

Will made his decision in mid air, changing directions and hurrying across the rooftops towards the carriage where he knew Thomas would be waiting. Waiting to take him home to revive his delirious parabatai.

"I'm coming, Jem," he whispered, allowing a single tear to fly from his eye onto the streets below. Only on the rooftops in the dead of night was he truly alone. Only when he was alone could he allow his tears to flow. The tears that had been pushed down by layers of arrogance and walls of nonchalance, building up until they overcame him. Will punched himself in the jaw, his own way of punishing himself. He was acting like such a _child_, it was unbecoming. Thinking about his weaknesses consuming his heart in the form of salty, bitter tears made him think of other nights. Nights of sitting on roofs or bridges and thinking of his family, both biological and at the Institute. Thinking of hurting them, hating himself so much he wanted to scream. Scream an apology to Ella and Cecy and his parents and anyone he's needed hate, needed to throw away, needed to disregard. Still, he ran on. He would run to the end of the world for Jem, if need be. He needed to know that he wasn't worthless, that his life wouldn't end as complete mess he made of it. If he could do one thing, if he could reach Jem in time, he could die happy, knowing he wouldn't be reborn as a rat that some noble kicked. At least, not in Jem's eyes, and at this point those were the only eyes that ever meant anything to him- the only eyes he could accept meeting with his own. Somehow, he knew that the demon wouldn't follow him. Even so, he ventured a glance backwards, more out of curiosity than as a precaution, and sure enough, a single black shadow stood stark among the rooftops, silhouetted by a full moon, unmoving.

The butler watched the Shadowhunter elegantly jump from roof to roof, his master only just beginning to stir. The Earl's eyes flashed open, his contract seal glowing faintly.

"Sebastian," he whispered leaning closer to his butler. Ciel's voice was thin and weak, making him seem no more than he appeared- a young boy. Suddenly, his muscles tensed as he realized what was happening. "Sebastian!" he commanded, his usual air returning, "Put me down this instant!" The butler allowed himself a small smile.

"Yes, my Lord."

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Well, that's Chapter 2 for you! Hope you liked it, please review/favorite/alert… Thanks to

-IggyLikesToExplode (Maximum Ride, right?)

-ToffifeeKat (nom-nom-nom nya-nya-nya *cue Sebastian cat rant*)

-Prisma Honeydew (honeydew = yum!)

-mmelomene (YOU WIN FOR FIRST COMMENT cause Beta5200 doesn't really count CONGRATS AND THANKS!)

-Beta5200 (lol thanks)

for your super motivational comments! They're giving me ego boosts every time I don't feel like writing….. Also… I'm currently winning my crossover war with Beta5200! Read her story Fairy Tail Evils Series (a crossover between Fairy Tail and the Vocaloid Evils Series) and tell us which one's better.

On a totally separate note, I will admit that Sebastian was pretty OC at times, but then again does anyone _really _know how Sebastian would talk if Ciel wasn't looking? Yes, I know that Will also was pretty far-off too at the end, but I wanted to try to show a different side (i.e. the "real" side) of him. What did you think? Did you like it? I promise I'll try to get better! In my mind Ciel was more or less accurate, but any constructive criticism is welcome.

Next Chapter: Blood is Black

Preview:  
"Pick one! Your pride or your parabatai!"  
"I won't work with someone I can't kill!"  
_Is he… no, he can't be… this emptiness… could it be…death?_

Makes ya kinda want to come back, right? Next chapter promises to test the ties between our characters and maybe, just maybe forge some new ones…

Anyways, please review, fav, and/or alert… tell your friends… spread the Shadows of Black propaganda… leave a PM me so I can acknowledge the existence of my otherwise anonymous readers… if you're out there… please… *falls into depression*

Until we meet again!  
DC


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